The Complications
by GiveAThimble
Summary: Original name: Mystery Lover. No longer a oneshot. When Hermione makes a big mistake in the library one night, it leads to a disastrous ending. A ruined Ron/Hermione. Hermione/Draco. Ron/OC. Harry/Ginny. Only chapter one is rated M, and the rest is T.
1. Mystery Lover

Her breathes came in quick takes; the climax was growing. Hermione cried out in frustration, and pulled her lover's hair in even farther. She was almost there…almost there…. The spine curved into the other naked body, her hands around the head, hoping she would never have to let go. Maybe she wouldn't have to.

"I can't…please…go in farther…." Hermione sputtered out, and then it hit. And when it did, Hermione screamed into the empty library, her voice echoing into the school halls. Someone was bound to hear Hermione and the student, but Hermione's mind was clouded so much with a strange delight that her mind couldn't even come up with that possibility.

It was like nothing Hermione had ever felt; the orgasm felt raw and full of some sort of strong desire. She had thought of this over and over again in her adolescence, and thought that it would feel familiar. But this wasn't familiar at all; this was something new and different. Hermione loved it! And she wished that the mystery lover would do it again.


	2. The Complications of Wizard Chess Club

She didn't eat her breakfast; she sat at the Gryffindor table and picked at it with her fork. What she had done had been a complete mistake; it wasn't supposed to go that far. One minute they were arguing about who knows what, and the next minute, he had her robes off. It all happened before Hermione could even think about it. Mind you, that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it and pushed him to go on with his actions, but she still felt guilty about it. It was going to bite her on the butt one of these days when Ron found out.

Hermione loved Ron, there was no doubt about that, but would she do the same thing with him? Would she let Ron, her own boyfriend, see her as exposed as she was the night before? That sounded ridiculous ; she wouldn't let her boyfriend see her naked but she would let the other wizard? It was hypocritical; that's what it was.

"Morning Hermione." Ron said happily, taking the seat next to her and kissing Hermione's cheek sweetly. The kiss felt like a burn to her skin, a reminder of what she had done. Ron started stuffing his mouth with bacon and eggs before he saw the dazed expression on Hermione's face. "Is something wrong?"

"What? No, sorry Ron." Hermione said quickly, sparing him a glance before gazing back at the Great Hall wall. She was so consumed with her own thoughts, Hermione didn't even notice a pretty brunette walk up to where her and Ron sat.

"Hello there." said the girl, standing across from the pair, smiling down at them. "I'm Lucy Andrews, a fourth year Gryffindor. You're Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, prefects right?"

Ron nodded his head at the girl, his eyes going slightly wide as Hermione shook Lucy's hand.

"Good to meet you. As you might know, I'm a member of the Wizard Chess Club here at Hogwarts, and we're recruiting new members. During the club meetings, we play against each other, and at the end of the year the best players play against the other houses' best players. It's really fun, and the best part is that you don't even have to be good at chess; you can learn the game there. I have put up posters for the club on the Gryffindor notice board, but I was wondering if you can give the club more of a notice. You're prefects, so people will listen to what you have to say. The chess club isn't very popular because most people think it's for dorks, but they're wrong." Lucy explained at top speed. She blew a strand of hair out of her face, still smiling at them.

"There's a Wizard Chess Club here? I didn't know that." Ron said, looking at Hermione and then at Lucy. "I'm good at chess."

"Brilliant!" Lucy exclaimed, looking at Ron very differently now. There was some sort of gleam in her eyes. "The next meeting is tomorrow night at seven in the Charms class. You should come!"

Ron grinned, looking at Hermione, who gave him a small smile that she hoped was convincing. Honestly, she didn't really care about a Wizard Chess Club.

"I'll get the notice around Lucy." Hermione said, hoping that Lucy would walk away now so she can keep staring at the wall.

"Thanks!" said the other girl cheerfully. She turned to walk away, but turned back around, pointing a finger at Ron. "If you're interested, check us out tomorrow. We could use a good player like you."

Ron smiled at Lucy's back as she walked down the table to sit with her friends. He wondered why he had never seen her before; Lucy was a very pretty girl with soft features and a light smile. Ron had even heard that she played a little Quidditch, so why had he never looked her way?

Hermione had gone back to looking at the wall, when her mystery lover passed by. He kept walking as he glanced at her, giving her a small smile and wink. She felt her heart flutter when he did, and immediately regretted how she reacted to the gesture. She shouldn't need to feel this guilty.

RHRHRHRH

Panting, Ron walked across the Quidditch pitch, up to where Hermione was sitting in the stands. She had her scarf wrapped around her neck, her ears as red as Rudolph's nose. As Ron sat down next to her with his broomstick in his hand, she turned her head to him.

"You did great out there. You're really improving." Hermione told him, looking back out at the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team walk across the pitch. Ron shook his head at her, rubbing at his eyes.

"No, I'm not. I still see Ginny glaring at me through the entire practice. I think she's trying to kill me with looks alone." Ron said, looking back at Hermione and putting his arm around her. Hermione shuddered slightly at the touch, wishing she could make this terrible feeling in her stomach go away.

"That's just Ginny; you were fine." she reassured him before standing up and announcing that it was too cold to stay outside. Ron followed her into the front hall of Hogwarts, taking her arm and making Hermione turn around to face him.

"Are you sure nothing is wrong Hermione? You've been acting strange all day." Ron asked, concentrating on Hermione's reaction. She shook her head at him, turning away so she wouldn't have to look at Ron, and started to walk away again.

"Everything is fine, Ron. Just drop it, okay?" she said shortly, leaving Ron in the front hall by himself.

RLRLRLRL

He thought there would have been more students in the Charms class when he came, but was surprised to see that it was only two fourth years, one second year, two sixths years, and one seventh year. The students were split up into pairs, each couple sitting at a table with a chess board set up in front of them. When seeing that he had entered, Lucy bounced over to Ron.

"I'm so glad you came!" Lucy squealed, flashing Ron a big smile before taking his hand and leading him over to the others. It was weird having his hand in hers; Ron wasn't used to holding any one's hand other then Hermione's. "Everyone this is Ron Weasley. He has just joined the club, and tells me he's a good chess player. He's also getting us more notice in the Gryffindor tower."

Ron awkwardly smiled at the students as they introduced themselves. As soon as they had said their names, Ron had forgotten them. He had seen them all around Hogwarts and in the tower, but it wasn't like he had actually made any contact to any of these people. It was strange for them to have a sudden meaning in Ron's life.

"So Ron we usually split up in pairs to see how well you are at chess. For the first couple of weeks we just play the game, but as the year goes on, we compete to see who our best players are. The best players are always the ones who compete against the other houses." Lucy explained, folding her hands and pursing her lips together. Ron couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she did it. "Unfortunately, the Ravenclaw House has won the the competition for three years now, and the Gryffindor House is bloody horrible. We could really use your skills Ron."

Did Lucy really use the word bloody? The only person Ron knew who used that word was himself. It was nice hearing someone else use it.

"Great. So when do I start?" Ron said, giving Lucy a smile which she returned. She took his hand again and had him sit at one of the tables with a chess board on it. Lucy took the seat opposite of him.

"Right now." She said, and the two of them became very serious.

Ron soon realized that he liked playing chess with Lucy; she wore this really cute expression when she was thinking about her next move, and she didn't complain when Ron took a long time to make his next move. He found that she was just as good of a player as he was, and it surprised him greatly because Ron had never met someone as good at chess as he was. The fact that Lucy was so good at the game, made Ron want to be better. She was making him go crazy.

"I can't believe you won!" Lucy said with a laugh when the game had ended. Ron grinned as she ran her hands through her wavy hair, looking down at the board. "I don't even understand how that happened."

"I'm just that good I guess." Ron said casually, feeling very proud of himself. He was quite relieved; Ron was sure Lucy was going to win. "Face it; you'll never be as good as me."

"I doubt that." Lucy scoffed, meeting his gaze. "Rematch; now."

It was tempting, but everyone else in the club had finished their game already and had left, leaving Ron and Lucy alone in the room. He looked down at his old watch, and silently cursed.

"I wish I could, but I should really be going to bed. I don't want to get in trouble with Filch for being out of bed so late." he said, standing up and shrugging his book bag over his shoulder. Lucy frowned as she followed his lead, collecting her books in her arms.

"I guess you're right. We'll walk back together," said Lucy, then added quickly, "since we're going to the same place and all." Her and Ron walked out of the Charms class. Lucy closed the door behind her, the only sounds being the echoes of their footsteps.

"I really enjoyed myself, by the way. Thanks for inviting me." Ron said after a moment, keeping his eyes on the floor. For some reason, Ron felt himself go red as he thanked Lucy.

"I'm glad you did. Do you think you'll come next week?" Lucy asked him, blushing a little. Yeah, Ron was a sixth year and she was a fourth year, but that didn't stop the warm feeling in her stomach as she looked at him.

"Sure. When is it?" he asked enthusiastically as they entered the Gryffindor common room.

"I don't have a specific date yet; I have to come up with club meetings as the weeks go on. I'll let you know as soon as possible; you'll probably know by the end of tomorrow." Lucy said, scratching the back of her neck as she and Ron came upon the staircase where the boys and girls went to their dorms.

"Yeah, let me know." Ron said. The pair stood in awkwardness for a second, not knowing how to say goodbye. "Well, see you later."

"See you tomorrow." Lucy quickly said, as Ron walked towards the boy's dorms.

"Tomorrow then." he agreed, and with that, he disappeared into the dorms. Lucy smiled shyly to herself before escaping to bed.


	3. The Complications of Christmas Decoratin

The school books had fallen to the floor, forgotten long ago. Hermione was curled up under Ron's body, her button down shirt riding up. Ron's shirt was unbuttoned, and he traced his fingers on her inner thigh as they snogged. He couldn't help the moan that erupted from the back of his throat as he pressed open mouthed kisses to Hermione's neck.

"So hot." Ron breathed out between kisses, dragging his lips back to hers. Hermione nodded her head slightly in agreement, before pushing against Ron's chest. Ron pulled away in shock, immediately missing the warmth of her body against his.

"We need to stop Ron." Hermione said as Ron sat up. He pulled his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Why do you always stop me? What are you afraid of?" he pushed, and Hermione rolled her eyes as she got off the bed and readjusted her shirt. She was putting her curly hair into a ponytail when she answered, her back facing him.

"I just don't think it's a good idea, is all. I told you; I want to wait until I'm older and ready." Hermione answered, feeling like she was reading off a script. She felt sick from saying those words now; they were completely false. Hermione was anything but a virgin.

Ron sighed loudly as he buttoned up his shirt, and rolled out of Hermione's bed. He picked up his books, and started making his way towards the door.

"Thanks for helping me with the Potions essay." he thanked Hermione, and before Hermione could answer, he had opened the door and left.

RHRHRHRH

"I'm telling you Hermione, he keeps staring at you. He's practically undressing you with his eyes." Ron insisted at dinner later that night, glancing down the table at Cormac McLaggen. Something inside of Ron burned as he watched McLaggen looking at Hermione over his food, raising his eyebrows at her. Hermione didn't even bother looking at Ron or McLaggen when she answered.

"Stop it Ron; I really hate it when you get jealous. Let it go, okay?" she said, and it became clear to Ron that she didn't want to talk about it any longer. Harry joined them at the table, covered in mud and looking tired. He piled his plate with food and took a bite greedily.

"I've been out for the last two hours playing Quidditch until I felt like I was going to pass out. Ginny's pushing me to my very best. I appreciate that she cares and all, but I really wish she wasn't so hard; it's stressful." Harry said, not stopping once to talk without eating at the same time. Hermione looks at Ron pointedly.

"See? It's not just you that she's hard on; it's Harry too." she said in her typical know-it-all voice. Ron only shrugs his shoulders, as he eats more chicken. Just as he got some sauce on his chin and went to wipe it off, Lucy walks up to the three of them with one of her pretty smiles.

"Ron, how are you?" she asks happily. Ron quickly wipes away the sauce with a napkin and swallowed the chicken in his throat, trying to find his voice to answer her.

"Fine, how are you?" he asks, hoping that Lucy hadn't noticed the sauce or the fact that he had trouble swallowing his food.

"I'm doing okay." Lucy says. Ron wishes that Harry wouldn't snicker like he knew what was going through Ron's mind at the moment. "I just wanted you to know that the next chess club meeting is Tuesday at seven at the same place."

"Okay, thanks for telling me." Ron thanked her, and Lucy smiled at him one last time before walking away from the trio. When she was gone, Hermione turned to Ron in wonder.

"I didn't know you had joined the Gryffindor chess club." she accused him, as if it was his responsibility to tell her this. Ron shrugged as Harry laughed. It didn't make him feel good to see Harry laughing about joining chess club.

"You joined the chess club? Why would you do that?" Harry asked him, still smiling smugly. Ron felt his ears go red, wishing that he could sink into the floor. He didn't see what was so funny about him joining the chess club.

"It's fun. I really like it, and Lucy's really nice." Ron said shyly, bringing his attention back to his meal. Harry shook his head, noticing that Ron was getting embarrassed, and going back to his food.

"If it makes you happy." Harry said quietly, but Ron noticed that Hermione didn't look as comfortable as Harry did; she bit her lip like she always did when she was in a deep thought.

"Did you join because of Lucy?" Hermione suddenly asked after a couple of minutes, interrupting something Harry was saying about the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Ron looked up at Hermione, feeling the blood rush to his face.

"What? No, of course not. I joined because I love playing wizard chess." he assured her without meeting Hermione's eyes. She nodded her head slowly, but Ron had a feeling that she didn't believe him.

H?H?H?H?

Green mist raised out of Hermione cauldron, and through the mist she could see him looking at her. She wanted to look away from his eyes, forget about the entire thing, but it was impossible to forget; the memory was etched in her brain forever. Hermione couldn't take it anymore; the guilt was practically eating her alive. Seeing Ron around every corner only made her feel worse, and every kiss or touch they shared was like a knife stabbing into her back, reminding her off the deed. Why did she have to do it? Why did she do it?

Someone must have been onto her at this point; no one could be still be oblivious to her secret now. Ron was going to catch on soon, he was soon going to realize that something was up with her. He wouldn't stay in the dark forever. Unless, Hermione thought to herself as she added a dragon scale to her potion, I can distract him with something else.

HLHLHLHL

Hermione found Lucy curled in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, reading a book. She sat down next to her, and cleared her throat, wanting to get Lucy's attention. Lucy looked up from her book, and after a surprised moment, smiled at Hermione and closed her book.

"I just wanted to tell you that I've been going around to as many Gryffindors as possible, and telling them about the chess club." Hermione said, and Lucy gave her a brighter smile.

"Thanks Hermione." she said, about to go back to her book, but then Hermione spoke again.

"You're welcome." Hermione paused so it seemed like she was thinking. "I don't know if you're interested, but the Christmas decorating for the Great Hall is this Friday, and if you wanted to, you can come and help out. All the prefects will be there, including Ron."

It was obvious to Hermione how Lucy's face suddenly lit up a little more at the mention of Ron, and she knew Lucy was hooked. Yes, Hermione was aware of Lucy's crush on Ron; Lucy didn't do a very good job hiding it.

"That's really nice of you to invite me, Hermione. Yeah, I'll be there." Lucy agreed, sitting up. Hermione smiled at her and told her to come to the hall after classes ended. Lucy glowed under the fire's light as she said her goodbye to Hermione.

RLRLRLRL

Ron brushed his hands off on his trousers as he and Hermione stood by the large Christmas tree, waiting for further instructions from Professor Flitwick. The Great Hall was full of excited students decorating the hall and singing Christmas carols.

"Ms Granger, go help with the reefs and Mr. Weasley will go hang the mistletoe. You''l find a box of the mistletoe in the corner of the Hall over there." ordered Flitwick, pointing towards the far left corner of the hall. Hermione made her way towards the Ravenclaw prefects to help with the reefs while Ron walked towards the mistletoe box to find that someone else was already there. Someone with wavy brown hair and a glowing smile.

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" Ron asked with a smile as he came closer, and Lucy smiled shyly back at him, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Err, Hermione invited me. I thought I would help out, is that okay?" she asked, biting her lip in anticipation. Ron nodded his head.

"Yeah, yeah that's fine. Want to help me with these?" he asked, gesturing to the mistletoe. Lucy looked down at the box and went as red as a tomato.

"Okay. I mean, I was just about to, so okay." she stuttered, hoping she didn't sound like a bloody idiot. Ron didn't notice her shyness though.

Together, they started hanging up the mistletoe with their wands, every once in a while glancing at each other. When one of them did, they would bite their lip and go beat red, looking down at their shoes. Ron made sure to never be under the mistletoe at the same time as Lucy.

"Thanks for the help." Lucy said after they finished, looking around at the mistletoe that bordered the Great Hall. Ron thought they had done a good job.

"It was no problem, rather fun actually." Ron said, and Hermione trotted up to them, looping her arm through Ron's.

"Professor Flitwick said we can go now." Hermione said, not acknowledging Lucy. Ron looked from Lucy to Hermione, suddenly feeling very lost and confused. He had just gone from being soaked up in feelings for Lucy, to being flooded with complicated feelings for Hermione. The combination of the two made his head dizzy.

"Err, okay. Thanks for the help Lucy." Ron said one last time, before Hermione dragged him out of the Great Hall, while Lucy waved him a goodbye.


	4. The Complications of the Almost Ending

***Lucy Andrews was inspired by makesmeadumbhuman.**

It was not a good idea; what he was doing at the moment. He knew he shouldn't walk right up to her, and confront her about what happened that night in the library. He still had to know though, he had to know why she would do that with him and then pretend it didn't happen at all. To say that she looked shock to see him walking up to her was an understatement; she looked completely horrified.

"We need to talk." he said, promising himself that he wouldn't back out of this. He wouldn't chicken out this time around. Hermione looked around the hallway to see if anyone was watching them.

"Really? Now? If Ron sees me talking to you he'll know something is up. I get the feeling he already knows something isn't right" Hermione said, and then took him by the arm and pulled him into a dark corner where no one could see them. He was enjoying the closeness between them at the moment; they hadn't been this close since what went down in the library.

"I just want to know why we did what we did that night, and why you haven't acknowledged my presence since." he said, meeting Hermione's eyes. Hermione looked into those deep eyes, and had to regather her thoughts.

"I have acknowledged your presence, trust me. You have no idea how much I've thought about you." she said, and Hermione was surprise by her honesty. "But I've got a boyfriend, and he means a lot to me."

"If he means so much to you, then why did you let me do that?" he pushed on, needing a good answer from her. Hermione sighed loudly.

"Look, what we did was a mistake. I should have never done it, and I'm sorry for what happened between us. It shouldn't have happened, and it was wrong. I'm so sorry." Hermione said, and for a moment, he actually believed her. But the lies were floating right on the surface of her eyes.

"I don't think you're telling the truth, Hermione. And whatever is going on between us is anything but wrong." he said, and walked out of the corner, already too far away to hear Hermione call him back.

"No! Wait, Draco!"

RDRDRDRD

Ron never got surprise visits from Draco Malfoy, so he really didn't know what to think when Malfoy walked up to him in the courtyard, looking like he was on some sort of mission. Before he can even say anything, Malfoy had already opened his mouth and was talking.

"A couple nights ago, I found Hermione alone in the library and we started talking. at some point, I'm not exactly sure when it happened or how it happened, we started kissing, and I took her virginity that night. I just thought I should tell you." he said, and before Ron could comprehend the words he had just spoken, Malfoy was running at full speed out of the courtyard.

Ron found Hermione before he found Malfoy.

RHRHRHRH

"THAT'S COMPLETELY SICK, HERMIONE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD EVER- THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE! MALFOY OF ALL PEOPLE! WHY WOULD YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO HURT ME LIKE THIS?" Ron shouted in the common room, attracting everyone's attention. Hermione had crumbled up on the floor, crying her eyes out. Ron would have felt bad for her if he didn't feel so betrayed. He felt tears well up at the rim of his eyes, but he quickly swiped them away. Hermione was the one who was supposed to feel terrible and cry, not him. Ron didn't do anything wrong.

"It's not like you were totally innocent either!" Hermione yelled back, tears streaking down her cheeks. She didn't seem so perfect to Ron when she was crying on the floor about her own stupid actions. "I saw the way you looked at Lucy!"

"I didn't have sex with her though! I didn't do anything with Lucy! You just wish I did so you wouldn't feel so bad!" Ron said, having a very great urge to break something. He threw his hands around in fists, wanting to punch something very badly. He though about hitting the wall, but didn't think the pain would be worth it.

"I'm sorry okay? You have no idea how bad I feel. I didn't want to hurt you by telling you." she cried out, and Ron wished they could talk about this without every Gryffindor watching them. Everyone knew their business now. Ron saw from across the room that Harry had his eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"But it hurts so much more now because you didn't tell me! Do you know how humiliating it was to hear the truth from Malfoy? I feel like you literally took my heart and stomped on it, Hermione!" Ron yelled, frustrated at everyone at the moment. He didn't understand why the entire world was against him now.

"I'm so, so, so sorry, Ron." Hermione whispered loud enough so only he could hear it. Ron let out a heartless laugh.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Hermione." Ron said in a monotone voice. Not wanting to look at Hermione any longer, Ron turned in the other direction to barge out of the common room when his eyes met Lucy's.

Something sharp seemed to stab in his stomach the moment he looked at her, making his heart twist. He pushed past her, and left the common room in a tensed silence.

HDHDHDHD

Draco found Hermione by the lake, sitting Indian style and crying into hear hands. He sat down next to her, and rubbed her back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, Hermione; for everything. I shouldn't have done that to you, and I shouldn't have told Ron." he said quietly, and Hermione finally looked up from her hands and at him. It hurt him so much to see her cry.

"Don't be sorry. He was going to find out at some point." she said, wiping one of her tears away. "It's better off this way anyway; I don't feel for Ron the same way I used to."

"I know." Draco whispered, still rubbing Hermione's back. She liked the way Draco's hand felt against her skin, and Hermione shifted towards Draco more, leaning her head on his shoulder. Draco liked the way her head felt on his shoulder; he could get used to this.

RLRLRLRL

Not sure if it was the right thing to do, Lucy sat down next to Ron on the couch. Ron's eyes were set on the fireplace; she could see the fire reflecting in his blue eyes. Lucy wanted to touch his arm in comfort, and as she moved her hand to do so, she thought better of it, putting her hands in her lap. It was almost five minutes before Ron finally spoke.

"I didn't expect this from Hermione of all people. I feel so betrayed." he said without emotion, and Lucy pursed her lips. She didn't know what to do for Ron.

"It's okay to feel that way. I can't even imagine what this must be like for you." she said, twisting her hands in her lap to keep from touching Ron; it was very tempting. He shook his head, still staring at the fireplace.

"Don't imagine it; I don't want you feeling that kind of pain." he said, and Lucy couldn't help but give a little smile at that. Yes, Ron liked her, she was sure of that now. Hermione had made it very obvious.

A long silence followed, but it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable; it was the opposite. Ron finally shifted his gaze from the fire to Lucy's face, giving her a small smile. It was the only smile he could give at the moment.

"So, we're still on for the chess club meeting, right?" he asked casually, as if he hadn't just had his heart broken. Lucy looked up at him in confusion and surprise.

"Aren't you too upset to think about wizard chess?" she asked, and Ron gave her another small smile before answering.

"Oh yeah, my girlfriend cheated on my with my arch enemy, and broke my heart into a million pieces, but I still like playing chess...and you." he said quietly, and both Ron and Lucy went as red as the fire. Ron bit his lip. "I'm not ready to jump into another relationship, Lucy, but I really like you."

"I understand." Lucy said with a nod. "I like you too."

The couple sat in front of the fire, smiling at one another, while the fire glowed them up with the feeling that something new was starting.


	5. The Complications of the Aftermath

Ron entered the Charm class room, and sat down at the table where he sat last with Lucy. He sighed heavily as he took out his chess set; he had been having a rough couple of days. At first, it was hard for Ron to register the events of the past week or so. What Hermione had done was still very new to him, and it was hard to comprehend that she would do something like that, and then it did sink in. When it did, it wasn't anger that Ron felt, but heartache. Hermione had been his first girlfriend, first love, first person who ever loved him back, and it hurt so much to know that even though she supposedly loved him, she would still do this to him.

At least when Ron was with Lucy, he didn't have to feel the pain anymore. When he was with Lucy in the Gryffindor common room after a long day of finding out the truth from Malfoy, Ron felt a little better with Lucy by himself. There was something about her comforting him that felt very nice and warm. He liked how she can make him feel so much better without having to touch him or tell him that everything was going to be okay. Lucy was very comforting without even trying to be.

Still, every time he saw Malfoy he wanted to punch him, every time he saw Hermione he wanted to cry, every time he saw Harry he wanted to apologize for messing up their lives, and every time he saw Lucy, he wanted to run into her arms. Not one of these actions would make the past go away though, so Ron tried to keep to himself as much as possible. This was clearly not helping Harry cope with the fact that his two best friends weren't talking again and this time, he had a feeling it would stay like that. Ron had to talk to Harry about all of this.

"Hi Ron." said a voice from behind Ron, who jumped in surprise. He was so deep into his thoughts he hadn't realized Lucy walk into the Charms class, and sat down opposite of him. She had her hair in a messy bun with a few strands falling freely, framing her face. Ron though she looked very pretty like that.

"Hi Lucy." he answered as Lucy set up her chess set. Ron couldn't help but stare at how Lucy set up her chess pieces; slowly and delicately like they were some graceful work of art. He was so mesmerized by how beautiful she looked while doing it, that he didn't realize that Lucy was now looking him in the face in confusion.

"You okay Ron? I mean, I know you've had a hard couple of days." Lucy approached nervously, her hands twisting together in her lap. Ron nodded his head slightly, and when realizing that Lucy was waiting for more of an answer, he swallowed hard before opening his mouth.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's hard, but I'm doing okay." he said, and Ron could tell that Lucy didn't really believe him. He rushed on, "Can we just play now?"

Lucy cleared her throat, murmuring a "sure", and they played the game in silence. Lucy could tell that Ron wasn't there completely, but she wasn't going to push the issue any farther unless he brought it up. The game was full of hard concentration; Ron's eyes didn't leave the board once. Even though it seemed that Ron was really trying to win, Lucy realized more than half way through that she was going to, but then let Ron win. He was so out of it, he didn't even realize that she had let him.

"Wait for me, will you?" Lucy called as Ron put away his chess set and shrugged his school bag over his shoulder. Once again, Ron and Lucy were the last two in the class room, and Ron waited silently as Lucy collected her things and closed the door behind them. The walk back to the common room was so silent that Lucy could have sworn she heard the ghosts floating by. It wasn't until they were halfway there when Ron suddenly started to ramble.

"I just don't understand it; all I've ever done is treated Hermione with the best respect. I always made sure to tell her I love her, and give her gifts on her birthday. I made sure to pay attention to the things she was saying, and tried to be interested in what she was interested in. Mind you, that wasn't very easy to do, because everything Hermione's interested in has to do with school, and I hate school. Malfoy has _never _treated Hermione with respect; he's called her a mudblood and made fun of her for being so smart purely out of jealousy, and she gives him her virginity! Not me, her helpful boyfriend, but the arrogant Slytherin who hasn't liked any of us since the very beginning! I just can't believe she would do that to me!" he said in pure anger, leaving Lucy into a shocking loss of words. She had never heard Ron say so much or look so angry; he was red all over and he seemed to have burning flames in his blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry Ron. I honestly don't know what to say to make you feel better." Lucy said, knowing that those words didn't help the situation at all. At the end of the day, Ron would still be full of heartache.

"You don't have to say anything; your presence is enough." Ron said quietly, unaware that he had voiced his thoughts. Despite the depressing feeling in the air, Lucy couldn't help but smile at the words Ron said. They made her stomach tickle and become very warm.

They soon arrived at the common room, where Ron and Lucy said their goodbyes. As Ron walked away with his head down, Lucy felt the urge to call his name and hug him. She just wanted to hug him and tell him that she was so very sorry for him, and wanted everything to be alright. She wanted to tell him how much he meant to her, and how much their friendship meant to her. She wanted to rub his back, and lean her head against his shoulder.

But the moment passed, and Lucy had lost her chance to be with Ron just a little bit longer.

HDHDHDHD

As Hermione entered the Great Hall the next day for breakfast, she found that she didn't know where exactly to sit. People immediately turned their heads at her as she walked in, whispering to each other as she stood there. By this time, the entire school knew about what had happened between her, Ron, and Draco. It made her feel so strange to see people whispering and talking about her. No one had ever done that before about her.

Harry, Ron, and Lucy were sitting together at the Gryffindor table. Harry and Lucy were laughing at something, and Ron gave a small smile. Hermione's heart ached a little at the sight; the pain Ron was feeling was all over his face. It made Hermione feel the same exact pain. Down at the Slytherin table, Hermione noticed Draco sitting by himself, and waving at her. Hermione smiled brightly as she briskly walked down the aisle toward Draco, trying to ignore the whispers as she passed by.

"Everyone's starring at me." Hermione noted as she took the seat opposite of Draco. Draco gave her an easy smile before returning to their food.

"They're just admiring your beauty, love." Draco said sweetly, looking her in the eyes for only a moment. At the last word, Hermione dropped her fork in shock and looked around to see if anyone had heard Draco say that. No one had.

"Don't say that out loud!" she snapped at him, as Draco's forehead crinkled in confusion. Hermione was glancing around the hall still, and Draco noticed that she seemed very jumpy.

"Are you alright, Hermione? Do you want to come watch me practice Quidditch after classes today?" asked Draco, and Hermione glared at him for a moment before putting her fork back down and leaning in a little.

"No, I do not want to watch you play stupid Quidditch! I have school work!" Hermione snapped again before picking up her fork again, and stabbing into her food. Draco saw how grumpy she was, but decided to ignore it.

"Then you can come after you finish your school work." he said, picking up his school books and quickly standing up. Before Hermione could refuse his offer, Draco leaned over the table to give her a chaste kiss in which she tried to dodge for some odd reason, and walked towards the door. He turned his head at her as he walked away, yelling a, "See you then!"

Hermione was left with no choice but to watch Draco play Quidditch all afternoon long, not even having a choice if she wanted to go or not. She sighed loudly as she finished her breakfast and headed to her first class.

HLHLHLHL

After a wonderful day of having breakfast and lunch with Ron and Harry, Lucy walked into her fourth years' dorms to put her books away before meeting Ron and Harry in the Great Hall. She was stopped though by none other than Romilda Vane. Lucy had shared a dorm with Romilda since her first year at Hogwarts, but the girls never really got along. Romilda was very full of herself and a little obnoxious, while Lucy was very much the opposite.

"Lucy! I'm so glad I was able to run into you! I hear you're dating Ron Weasley." she said quickly, following Lucy to her bed. She smiled tightly at Lucy.

"He's not my boyfriend, Romilda. We're just good friends." Lucy answered, going a little red. Did people really think her and Ron were dating? Just the idea alone made Lucy want to giggle like a little school girl with a crush.

"Whatever." Romilda brushed off before going on. "Ron Weasley is best friends with Harry Potter. Harry Potter is the most _gorgeous _boy at this school, and I heard you were going with them to Hogsmeade next weekend. I want in."

Lucy starred at her for a few moments before answering. It was true; Ron had asked Lucy during lunch if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade with them, and Harry seemed to have no problem with it, so she accepted the invitation. She didn't really know Harry yet, but he seemed quite nice and a little quiet. Lucy just didn't understand how Romilda already knew about it. How quickly did news spread at this school?

"Romilda, I can't just bring you along. Ron invited me; I don't think it would be very polite if I just brought you along." Lucy said, wishing she had a better excuse. She didn't have anything against Romilda personally, but she was still very annoying, and Lucy was sure Ron wouldn't want her there.

"Why can't I? I'm sure Harry and Ron would understand." she pushed, and Lucy hopelessly wished that someone would come save her now. Romilda was a very persistent person, and that bothered her.

"Romilda, I just don't think it would be the right thing to do. I'm sorry." Lucy said, and Romilda huffed loudly. She studied the floor for a moment with her arms crossed over her chest, and then went towards her bed to pick up a heart shaped box.

"Well then, can you give these to Harry? Tell him there from me." she said, and Lucy said she would before Romilda left the room. With a sigh of relief, Lucy put her books away and rushed out of the Gryffindor tower before Romilda can bother her again. Just as Lucy was walking down the stairs to the Great Hall, Harry turned the corner crashing right into Lucy. Lucy fell on her butt, as the heart shaped box fell out of her hands. She stood up in embarrassment as Harry picked up the box of chocolates from the floor.

"Sorry Lucy. Are you okay?" Harry asked in a concern voice. Lucy told him she was, and then suddenly found her in a very new situation. She had never been with Harry alone before.

"Here's your, err, chocolates." Harry said awkwardly as he gave the box back to Lucy, but Lucy pushed it into his hands.

"Those are for you from Romilda Vane. She told me to give them to you when I saw you." she explained, and with a raised eyebrow Harry studied the box. Just as he was taking the top off to see if the chocolates were still okay after the fall, a loud shrill voice rang through the hall, and someone crashed into Harry, flinging the box of chocolates out of his hand. The box crashed onto the floor, and all the heart shaped chocolates rolled onto the floor.

"What was that all about Hermione?" Harry shouted at Hermione, who was breathing very heavily and starring daggers at Lucy.

"That _girl _was trying to give you a love potion!" Hermione accused, pointing a finger at Lucy. She took a step closer as Lucy took a step back, both her and Harry wearing very confused expressions. "Don't you think you've done enough damage to Harry's life already? Do you really have to make it worse by forcing him to _fall in love with you?_ You are a sick, sick girl!"

Lucy stared at her with her jaw dropped. Hermione thought the chocolates were from her? But Lucy would never do that, and as Lucy tried to explain what really happened Hermione turned away from them and stormed out of sight.

"Don't mind her. She's just worried about me because all these girls have been trying to give me love potions all of a sudden." Harry told her and Lucy nodded at him, suddenly remembering that time she was in the loo and some of the girls were talking about giving Harry a love potion. Romilda Vane must have been one of those obsessed girls.

"I've noticed. Everyone is suddenly in love with you this year. Why is that?" Lucy asked, hoping Harry wouldn't take that the wrong way. He didn't seem to notice though as he waved a hand in the air.

"Hermione says it has something to do with fact that I'm the Chosen One, and I'm better looking this year, or something like that. I don't really understand what she means though; to me I'm just plain Harry." he said, and Lucy understood what he meant. When she looked at Harry, all she saw was a normal boy with normal friends who did normal school work; nothing special or different there.

"You must feel very uncomfortable getting all that attention." Lucy said sympathetically, and Harry met her eyes as he smiled at her. There was something about this girl that he liked.

"It is." he said quietly, and then quickly added, "Oh, and Ron can't make it today because he got detention with Snape."

Lucy felt herself sink at those words; she had been looking forward to hanging out with Ron. It was too bad Snape had given him detention; he was always giving someone a detention. Lucy couldn't stand him.

"That stinks." Lucy commented, and for a few seconds, her and Harry stood there in silence. Then Harry opened his mouth again.

"I was going down to the library just now to meet Ginny there. She's, err, helping me with some Charms stuff. I know it might be a little boring, but you're welcomed to come along if you want. Ginny's really nice and fun, and she won't mind."

Something about Harry's invitation made Lucy feel good; it was nice to feel included. Harry's invitation made her feel like that, and she slowly felt herself starting to belong. She agreed with a grin, and her and Harry made their way to the library.

HRHRHRHR

Ron was in the Great Hall eating dinner while only a few other students were scattered around the hall, eating a later dinner and playing games. He was picking at his food with the fork, slowly getting over Hermione and coming to terms with his feelings for Lucy when Hermione stomped into the hall and down to where Ron sat at the Gryffindor table. Ron looked up at her as she sat opposite of him with a determined look on her face. What could this have been about? Hermione hadn't talked to him, let alone meet his gaze, since their fight in the common room.

"I have something that I think will interest you greatly, Ron" she said, and before Ron could say something, she went, "Your little _girlfriend _gave Harry a box of chocolates full of a love potion."

Ron was silent for a moment, and Hermione waited impatiently for him to respond. She started to wonder why he just sat there with a confused expression, not really looking at her. She tapped her fingers against the table as she waited.

"My girlfriend?" Ron questioned dumbly, and Hermione had the great urge to hit him over the head. One minute of agonizing silence, and the only thing he can say was _my __girlfriend?_ Was that all he had to say on the situation?

"I'm talking about Lucy, Ron!" Hermione nearly shouted, and Ron let out a long "oh" as he digested this information. He sat there for another moment in silence, and then suddenly stood up, anger clearly shown on his face.

"What? No, Lucy doesn't fancy Harry." he said, and then sat back down, shaking his head. Hermione was wrong, she didn't know what she was talking about; Lucy liked him, Ron was sure of it. Hermione felt like hitting the table in frustration, something she had felt like doing often recently, and tried to keep her patience with Ron.

"Yes, she does. I know you've somehow convinced yourself that Lucy likes you, but she doesn't. She Likes Harry; she gave him a love potion through chocolates. I saw him open the box that Lucy gave him. Face it Ron, she likes Harry better then you. It's always going to be that way; Harry will always get more then you. You might as well accept the truth now instead of denying it." Hermione said, and she watched as Ron's shoulders sagged in defeat and sadness. Ron knew it was truth; he was silly for thinking Lucy might like him compared to Harry. There was no use to even hope, but for some reason, hearing Hermione say it made it so much worse. Then something popped into Ron's mind.

"But you chose me over Harry!" he pointed out, and Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes again. It was something she was doing too much now.

"And I'm the only one who would." she said, standing up. "I'm sorry Ron, I really am."

And with that, Hermione walked out of the great Hall, leaving Ron to drown himself in his gloom. He had a feeling Hermione wasn't sorry at all.

RLRLRLRL

He found Lucy easily in the Gryffindor common room doing homework in front of the fire. Ron stood in front of where she worked, and waited until she realized he was there. Only after a moment did Lucy look up, saw who it was and smiled, and then saw the angry expression on his face and frowned.

"What's wrong, Ron?" she asked sincerely. Ron let out a bark of a laugh, making Lucy look even more confused. He ignored the cuteness of her confused expression and her sympathy, and looked into her lying heart.

"I can't believe you gave Harry a love potion!" Ron spit out, towering over Lucy. It was a little scary to see him seem so much bigger than her, and at his words, she threw her quill down.

"Why does everyone think the chocolates were from me?" she asked to no one in particular and then looked up at Ron to meet his eyes. "Those chocolates were from Romilda Vane, and she told me to give them to Harry."

"Don't lie to me, Lucy. Hermione told me everything." Ron said, tasting the distaste on his tongue. He hated the way it came out, and wished he could take back, but then remembered how Lucy had hurt him.

"You're going to believe Hermione over me? You must be joking! I don't like Harry, at least not in that way! I like you, you know that!" Lucy told him, exasperated. She abruptly stood up then, making Ron take a few steps back from the close physical contact. "Let's go find Romilda now, and she can tell you all about _my secret affair with Harry Potter!_"

"What?" said Neville, who was sitting in one of the seats by the fire, looking up at Ron and Lucy with wide eyes. Lucy and Ron ignored him though.

Lucy pushed pass Ron and walked around the sofa to where Romilda was sitting at a small table with one of her fourth year friends. When Lucy and Ron approached her with hard looks, her face lost a little color, and her eyes shifted from Lucy to Ron repeatedly.

"Romilda, will you please tell Ron that the box of chocolates was from you to Harry?" Lucy said, exaggerating each word. For a second, Romilda looked like she might deny it completely, but then cleared her throat nervously.

"Yes, I did. Did you give them to him?" Romilda said, and Lucy nodded, deciding to keep the part about him throwing them out of the conversation.

"You see Ron? The chocolates were from Romilda, and I was just giving them to him. Hermione didn't even know what she saw. Do you believe me now?" Lucy said, and took Ron by the arm to walk back to the fireplace. She stopped right in front of the fire, feeling the heat of it against her skin. Ron stood in front of her.

"Yes, I believe you." he said, and then added, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you from the start. I should have known better then to trust Hermione after what she did to me."

"It's okay, but you're right; you should have believed me right away." Lucy said as she glared at him a little and then her features became softer. "I heard you had detention with Snape. What happened?"

"It doesn't matter. I want to talk about more important things." Ron said, taking Lucy by the hand and bringing her over to sit back down on the couch. She closed her books and put them into her bag as Ron thought about how he was going to say this. "Lucy, I've been thinking about a lot of things recently. Things about me and Hermione, but more importantly, things about you and me."

Ron took a deep breath after these words, and Lucy also took the moment to do the same. She had to remind herself that this wasn't a dream and this was really happening.

"And I want us to be together. A real couple without the Hermione and Malfoy drama. What do you think?" Ron said hesitantly, making sure to keep eye contact with Lucy. Lucy had to look away and into the fire. She opened her mouth a couple of times to speak, but found that she couldn't form words, so closed it again. It was a long time before she actually answered.

"Ron, that's very sweet, and I really want to be with you too, but I can't. I'm sorry, but I'm...I'm not ready to get into a relationship. I want to work on our friendship before we get into a serious relationship. I still like you, very much, but I want to be friend's first." she said quietly, choosing her words carefully. For a second Lucy glanced at Ron to see his hard face, and then looked quickly back at the fire. "I'm just afraid that you aren't really over Hermione yet, and you just like me so you can get over her. I hope you understand."

Lucy had never heard such a long silence in her whole life.

"No," Ron finally said, "I understand. Yes, I completely understand. I think you're right, Lucy. Besides, it's too early to get into another relationship anyway. You're right; let's work on our friendship before we become serious. Yes, we'll do that."

Lucy, not very sure if Ron really agreed or he was just saying those things just because, gave him a small smile and placed her hand on his shoulder. Ron gave her a small smile back, but Lucy knew he didn't really mean it.

"But you're wrong about one thing; I don't just like you because of Hermione."


	6. The Complications of Being Replaced

Draco wished that Hermione would stop complaining about how much time Ron and Lucy spent together. Ever since the truth had gotten out, Draco couldn't be with Hermione for one moment before she either became angry at him or started rambling on about Ron and Lucy. They were sitting under a shady tree by the Black Lake, and Hermione didn't even notice as Draco sighed heavily, playing with her hair. She abruptly turned around to face him then, making her hair whip around.

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" she asked angrily, and Draco smiled at her. For some odd reason, no matter how much Hermione complained, it didn't bother Draco. He was immune to it.

"Of course I am." he assured her, and Hermione continued to ramble. Draco pretended to be listening, nodding his head at the right times and being a good audience. After another ten minutes of Hermione talking, she stopped and eyed him suspiciously.

"Something tells me Draco that you're not actually listening to what I'm saying." she said, giving him a look that made him want to hide. Before he could lie and say that he was listening, she started talking again, "Do you not like hearing me talk?"

"No, no." Draco said quickly, sitting up at once. Hermione glared at him. "It's just, err, we haven't really, you know, done anything since that night in the library. And err, I really liked it, and I want to, you know, I'm completely in love with you so it's only natural to want to do it with you again. Right?"

Draco looked at her nervously, playing with the grass, waiting impatiently for her to respond. Hermione opened her mouth in an O shape, and Draco noticed how appalled she looked.

"What? You just want to have sex again with me? Who do you think I am? You're such a pig Draco Malfoy!" she said very loudly, getting the attention from a passerby. Draco looked around in panic, trying to think of something to convince Hermione that that wasn't what he meant at all.

"No! I mean, if you don't want to we don't have to." He said quickly, and Hermione sighed loudly as she looked out into the lake. Draco sighed as well, but out of relief, and he and Hermione sat there for a few more quiet seconds, before Hermione attacked Draco with her lips.

HGHGHGHG

The Gryffindor Quidditch team, dirty and cold, pulled off their robes and started to put some muggle clothes on. Everyone was silent from exhaustion; they had been practicing all afternoon, and were still not very good. The only person meeting Harry's standards was Ginny, with Ron still failing from a lack of confidence. The lack of skills on the team wasn't the only thing holding back the Gryffindor team from winning the Quidditch cup, the other thing was that Harry still hadn't found a replacement for Katie Bell, who was still in the hospital after nearly being killed.

"Good job today, Ron." Harry said, patting Ron on the shoulder as everyone but Harry, Ron, and Ginny left the room. Ron didn't even look at him as he nodded with a slight smile, knowing that Harry was just saying that to make him feel better. Without waiting for him, Ron left, leaving only Harry and Ginny alone.

"Harry, you've got to find a replacement for Katie really soon. The Quidditch match is only a couple of more weeks away." Ginny said, coming over to stand next to him. Harry nodded his head at her, wishing that she would stop bothering him about it. Every time he saw her during the day, Ginny would remind him of the one missing Chaser.

"I know Ginny, I know." he told her, leaving the room with Ginny behind him. They walked across the Quidditch pitch and towards the castle. Harry noticed that Ginny's red hair was falling down her back like a waterfall, slightly messy, but still beautiful. Harry had to remember to concentrate on what Ginny was saying.

"Who was second best at the tryouts?" she asked, and the answer popped into Harry's head; Dean Thomas. But Dean was Ginny's ex-boyfriend, and Harry didn't want him on the team in fear that they might get back together. That would seriously decrease his chances of dating Ginny.

"Lucy Andrews." he blurted out, remembering that Lucy was almost just as good as Dean. Ginny's eyes lit up in surprise as they entered the castle and walked to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Then you should ask her if she wants to replace Katie until she gets out of St. Mugno's. We _need _her, Harry." Ginny pushed on, and Harry told her he would as she left for the girl's dormitory. Harry watched her go, starring at her backside for as long as possible before she turned the corner and was gone.

HLHLHLHL

Harry was able to find Lucy as she left one of the Herbology green houses that he was going into. He pulled her away from the rest of the fourth years as both her and Ron wore curious expressions. Harry gestured to Ron to go without him, and Ron glanced at Lucy nervously. She nodded to him as if to say that it was alright.

"I don't know if you know this Lucy, but Katie Bell has been at St. Mugno's for a long time now, and we need a replacement for a Chaser until she returns. You tried out, and you were the second best, so would you like to take her place until she comes back?" Harry asked her, and Lucy's entire face seemed to glow with excitement at his words.

"Are you serious? Bloody hell! Yes, yes!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Harry in a crushing hug. Harry awkwardly patted her back, but Lucy didn't seem to notice how weird this was. He noticed that she had said bloody hell, and the only person Harry had ever heard use that phrase was Ron. She pulled away, jumping up and down with a big grin. "Thank you so, so much Harry!"

"It's no big deal, really. Don't mention it." Harry said as Lucy kept bouncing on the balls of her feet, trying to bite back her large smile. "We're practicing tomorrow at five. Don't be late."

"Of course not." Lucy said, still jumping with excitement. Harry gave her a smile, relieved that he had found a new Chaser without having to bring Dean in. Lucy didn't know how much of a favor she was really doing for him.

"Thanks again, Lucy." Harry said, walking into the Herbology green house. He wondered if Lucy would ever get over her excitement.

"No, thank you!" she said in a cheery voice as Harry walked into the green house. There was something about that girl that he liked. When Lucy entered her next class, her smile was still so big it would have had to be broken up three times to fit through a door.

HDHDHDHD

Hermione found herself in the Slytherin common room under Draco's body on the sofa. She trailed kisses down his neck and then met his lips again, deepening the kiss with her tongue. Her hands roamed his chest before going south to Draco's belt buckle. That was when he suddenly pulled away, leaving Hermione to feel very confused and a little hurt.

"We need to talk, Hermione." he said seriously, pulling himself off of Hermione. Hermione sat up, and gave him a silly smile.

"I'm pretty sure that's the girl's line, Draco." she said, leaning over to kiss Draco again. It became really strange when he shifted farther away from her, so she couldn't touch him. Hermione sat there, the top buttons of her blouse popped open and her hair disheveled even more than usual.

"No, Hermione. We _need _to talk about us." he insisted, and Hermione shifted a little. As far as she can tell, there was nothing wrong with them. They spent a good amount of time together, and when they were together, they enjoyed themselves. Wasn't that what a relationship was about?

"There's nothing wrong with us." Hermione said in a low voice, looking down at the floor. She still did not understand where Draco was going with this.

"When we're in public, you don't want to talk to me. You act crabby and snap at me if I say something nice to you. You don't let me kiss you, let alone hold your hand. But when we're alone, it's like you're an entirely different person. You're suddenly all over me, and we don't even have a real conversation. Whenever we do talk it's only you talking about how much time Ron and Lucy spend together. I don't think it's healthy." Draco explained, leaving Hermione to think about what he just said. She didn't know where he was getting this from; that wasn't what their relationship was like at all. Somewhere in the back of her head, Hermione knew he was right, but she wouldn't let that little voice affect her train of thought.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she said. "Can we just get back to what we were doing before?"

Draco sighed in defeat, waiting to see if Hermione would admit that she was wrong and he was right. But the silence dragged on, and Draco realized that Hermione wouldn't do anything else unless he just forgets about it.

"Sure, yeah. We can go back to what we were doing before." he said, and with a smile Hermione fell on top of him, kissing Draco passionately. They went on for that for some more time, but it wasn't the same as before. They were both aware that the truth was now lingering in the air, but Hermione wasn't going to acknowledge it.

RLRLRLRL

"I hate Professor Slughorn." Lucy said, dropping a bunch of library books on the table, making Ron jump in surprise. She took the opposite seat from him in the library, opening the first book and taking out some parchment and a quill. "I have to write three pages of parchment on some _stupid _draught and its effects."

Ron gave her a pity look before returning to his own homework for Professor Flitwick. Lucy sighed loudly as she turned the pages in the book, trying to figure out how to begin her report.

"I heard you made the Quidditch team. Congratulations! I'm so happy you're on the team now!" Ron said, grinning at Lucy. The fact that Ron was happy that she was on the team now made her blush, and she bashfully looked down at the parchment.

"Yeah, it's always been a dream of mine to be on the Quidditch team. I'm a little nervous about practice tonight though." Lucy said, knowing that she can trust Ron with the truth. Ron smiled at her, understanding why she was worried.

"I know what you mean. Every time I'm up there I get so nervous that I completely mess up. Harry says I'm doing well, but I know he's just saying that to make me feel better. Ginny gives me looks like she wants to kill me when I'm up there." Ron said, and Lucy smiled at him, grabbing his hand that was on the table without even thinking about it. Ron glanced down at her hand for a moment in shock before meeting her eyes.

"I've seen you up there, Ron. You really are good, you're only problem is you're not confident enough. Find your confidence, and your talent will shine though." she said, and Ron gazed at her for what must have been a long time. Everything she said always seemed to have so much meaning, and it always made Ron feel so good. How did she do that? How did Lucy make him feel so alive? And did she feel the same way? Did she feel just as amazing when Ron was around? He didn't think she did; Lucy was special, he wasn't.

After a long time, Lucy realized what was happening and quickly pulled her hand away from Ron's, bringing her attention back to her Potions work. She cleared her throat as Ron seemed to come back to reality too, and the two of them went back to their work.

HGHGHGHG

Even Hermione could tell the Lucy was good at playing Quidditch. She sat on the bleachers and watched as Lucy laughed and practiced with the rest of the Gryffindor team, every so often looking at Ron. It made her sick to see how much time the two of them spent together; Hermione didn't understand how Ron could be into a girl like Lucy. She had heard from both Harry and Ginny that they weren't actually together, only really good friends, but that still made Hermione angry. It made her feel like Ron had dropped her for Lucy, and she wanted to forget about it, but they just seemed to be everywhere she went. There was no escaping their stupid sexual tension.

Hermione stood up as the team went to get change, and walked down onto the Quidditch pitch. A few of the players were already coming back out when she saw Ginny coming out with Lucy. That was another thing that suddenly got on Hermione's nerves; Harry and Ginny were suddenly good friends with Lucy as well. She could understand Ron leaving her for Lucy, but Harry and Ginny too? It wasn't just Ron who forgot about her, it was her friends too.

"Ginny!" Hermione shouted, running up to Ginny and Lucy. Ginny smiled at her in greeting, and Lucy smiled too. Hermione ignored Lucy completely. "Can I talk to you for a moment, Ginny?"

"Err, sure." Ginny said, looking at Lucy to see if she was okay. Lucy shrugged and walked over to where Ron and Harry were walking towards Hogwarts. "What did you want, Hermione?"

"I wanted to know if you're going to Hogsmeade with anyone this weekend." Hermione asked. She and Ginny hadn't spent time together since her breakup with Ron, and she would have rather go to Hogwarts with Ginny then with Draco. But Ginny was suddenly scratching the back of her neck, not meeting Hermione's eyes, and looking very uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, but I'm already going with some other people." Ginny said, still not meeting Hermione's gaze. Hermione shuffled her feat, afraid of whom these people might be.

"Oh. With whom?" she asked cautiously, and Ginny looked even more awkward then before. The redhead looked down at her feet, and shrugged.

"Err, Harry, Ron, and..." but Ginny murmured the last part, blushing, and Hermione had to ask her to repeat it. "And Lucy."

Hermione was silent for a few seconds as she tried to understand what Ginny had just said. Was she living in some sort of alternative universe where she had no friends except for Draco? Was Ginny really ditching her to hang out with Ron and Lucy? What was that about? Was there something more interesting about those two then her?

"Oh." was all Hermione was able to say, and Ginny bit her lower lip.

"It's just I said yes to them a couple of days ago, and-"

"No, it's fine. I understand, Ginny. Don't worry about it. Besides, I don't think Draco's going with anyone." Hermione assured her, even though she knew she was a bad liar. Ginny knew it too, but she nodded her head and pretended that Hermione was telling her the truth.

"We'll hang out next week, okay?" Ginny said, hoping Hermione forgave her. She valued her friendship with Hermione, she really did, but she had promised Harry that she would go with them. It would be wrong to back out of his offer now. Plus, she really wanted to go with Harry.

"Okay. Well, see you later Ginny." Hermione said, dismissing the issue as she walked towards the castle. Ginny watched her go, feeling like she was being pulled into two very different directions.


	7. The Complications of Ending Their Story

**AN: Special thank you to makesmeadumbhuman for inspiring me to expand on this original oneshot. The character Lucy was originally based off of her; the name Lucy is her favorite. She also proof read the entire story** **before the original publishing. Makesmeadumbhuman also inspired me to add three more chapters to the original four. I also give her credit on the entire love potion scene in an earlier chapter, as that was originally her idea. All in all, she is mostly the reason this story exists, and I thank her over and over again for that. **

Lucy met up with Ron, Harry, and Ginny in the Great Hall during breakfast, and from there, they went to Hogsmeade. Wanting to escape the falling snow and coldness, they hurried to The Three Broomsticks, their scarves wrapped firmly around their necks. The heat of the pub immediately warmed Lucy up, and she sighed heavenly at the wonderful feeling.

"You lot sit down, I'll get the butterbeer." Ron told them, as the other three found a table in the back to sit at. Harry knew that Ron only did that so he can see Rosmerta. Lucy took off her coat and hung it on the back of her chair as Ginny took the seat next to her, and Harry the opposite of her.

"Oh, look; it's Hermione and Malfoy." Harry said, looking over at a corner booth where Hermione and Malfoy were sitting. Lucy noticed that Hermione had a disgusted look on and was looking directly at them. Malfoy seemed very content with his drink, every so often glancing at Hermione. "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know." Ginny lied, turning her attention to Ron, who had just returned with their drinks. Lucy took her mug, and drank greedily. The taste of butterbeer going down her throat was amazing.

"So, do you think we're ready for the Quidditch game against Hufflepuff?" Ron asked to no one in particular. Harry put his mug down before answering. Lucy and Ginny exchanged looks.

"Yeah, I think so." he said, but Lucy had a feeling that Harry was just saying that to make Ron feel better. Ron nodded his head, obviously satisfied with the answer.

"I didn't know Hermione was coming here with him." Ron said suddenly, looking at Hermione and Malfoy. The other three shifted their eyes to where Ron was starring. Everything suddenly became very uncomfortable.

"Oh yeah, look at that." Ginny said in a casual tone, acting like it was the first time she noticed the pair. Lucy bit her lip as she watched Ron stare at them intently before bringing his attention back to his drink.

"We can leave if you want to." Lucy said, touching Ron's arm. He shook his head, bringing the mug to his lips.

"No, I'm fine. I'm over her anyway." he said, and Harry smiled at him. Lucy smiled too; Ron was finally over Hermione. Hermione no longer held an important meaning to his life. Even though she knew it was kind of selfish to think so, Lucy was glad that Hermione was no longer in Ron's life.

"Do you think the two of you will ever be friends again?" Harry asked, desperate for his two best friends to stop fighting. He hated it when they got into a fight and he was caught in the middle of it, and now was worse than ever. When he was with Hermione, all she did was complain about Ron. Harry had no choice but to be silent most of the time when he was with her. Fortunately, Ron wasn't the same; he talked more about Quidditch and Lucy. Actually, most of the words that came out of his mouth were about Lucy.

"I don't know. Maybe." Ron said, and Lucy hoped that they could at least be that. While she liked the fact that Hermione wasn't in competition with her over Ron, she also wanted them to be friends. Something told her that if they were friends again, all this drama and tension would end.

"I have to use the ladies room. If you'll just excuse me." Lucy said, standing up and walking towards the woman's bathroom. She pushed the door open to see Hermione washing her hands.

"Oh, it's you." Hermione said in a monotone voice. Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes as she went into one of the cubicles. When she came back out, Hermione was still oddly washing her hands.

"How long does it take you to wash your hands?" Lucy asked; she sounded ruder then she intended to. Hermione didn't even look at her as she turned off the faucet, and started talking again.

"I can't believe you had the nerve to come here with Ron when you knew I was going to be here." she said as she started to dry her hands. Lucy gave her a look as she turned her own faucet off, and faced Hermione's back.

"How was I supposed to know you would be here? I didn't do this to you on purpose." Lucy said, and Hermione turned on her, a fire burning in her eyes.

"The Three Broomstick is one of the most popular places in Hogsmeade; of course I would be here! And anyway, I don't know what you're playing at! You might think that there's something going on between you and Ron, and maybe there is, but it's going to end with you getting hurt! Trust me. Your relationship is going to collapse from underneath due to the fact that Ron is still obviously in love with me, no matter how much I had hurt him." Hermione announced. Lucy starred at her with her eyebrows raised for what she though must have been a long time. Who did this girl think she was? When had Hermione become so mean? Lucy had never known Hermione personally, but from what she had heard, Hermione was a nice person. That couldn't have been the same person she was seeing now.

"First of all, Ron is over you. I've heard him say it a couple of times now, and I know he's telling the truth. Second of all, you know _nothing _about our relationship, so you can't judge. And third of all, it's not my relationship with Ron that I'm worried about; it's yours with Malfoy. A relationship can't work without a stable friendship, and you Malfoy only shift form hating each other to loving each other. So please don't go talking about my relationship with Ron when yours isn't that great either." Lucy rambled, not knowing exactly where the words were coming from. Hermione looked at her without expression for only a moment before turning around and leaving the bathroom.

HDHDHDHD

Hermione and Draco were walking back to Hogwarts when she grabbed him by the arm and turned him around to face her. She had something to say, something very important to say, and Hermione was not going to back out of it.

"I haven't been myself lately." she said in a whisper, looking down at the white snow. Draco gave her a small smile, lightly touching her arm.

"I know you haven't." he said understandingly, and Hermione wished he wasn't so. She didn't deserve his goodness and forgiveness so easily, and she was determined to earn it correctly.

"I've just been so mean to everyone, and that includes you. I treat you horribly in public out of embarrassment, and then I'm all over you in private. I've been treating Harry like he's my emotional punching bag, ranting to him about Ron and Lucy. I haven't been treating Ginny right ever since she became friends with Lucy. I treat Lucy like she's some sort of bird poop or something, and I act like Ron's still my little puppy who follows me where ever I go. I've been so horrible lately, and you have no idea how sorry I am." Hermione said in a rush. Just thinking about it made her head hurt. She looked up to meet Draco's eyes, and saw that he didn't even look upset. He looked almost happy.

"So...is this, like, you admitting that you were wrong and I was right?" he inquired, and Hermione smiled at him, taking him by the collar and pulling him closer.

"You are _so _right." she said with a large smile, and Draco returned it. Their lips met in a simple kiss, making Hermione's head twirl. "I'm forgiven, right?"

"You are _so _forgiven." Draco said as they pulled apart. He takes her hand into his, and they start to walk again. "So, you're no longer embarrassed to be seen with me?"

"Why be embarrassed about something that makes you so happy?" Hermione asked as the made their way into the castle. Draco smiled at the floor, his face going red.

"Good. You make me happy too."

HGHGHGHG

Ginny joined Harry in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room later in the day, making sure to keep a little distance between them. Harry smiled at her, shifting his eyes from the fire to Ginny's face. She looked even prettier when it glowed up from the fire.

"I am so sick of this drama with Ron and Hermione. I just want it all to be over." Ginny said, and Harry turned to face her completely.

"I am too. I felt like something had happened when Lucy returned from the loo. Hermione looked like she was trying to kill her with eyes alone." Harry said, and then added with a smile, "The same kind of look you give Ron when we're practicing Quidditch."

"I had a feeling we would run into Hermione." Ginny murmured, looking into the fire.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if it was just the two us." Harry said nervously, hoping he hadn't crossed a line with that sentence. Ginny turned to smile at him, wanting to hold his hand but thinking better of it.

"It'll be just the two us next time." she said, and Harry wasn't sure if she was joking or being serious. To his great relief, she was being serious. Those made him feel really good.

"Next time then." he agreed, and Ginny flashed him another beautiful smile.

"Next time."

HRHRHRHR

Ron was shoving his dinner into his mouth when once again; Hermione walked up to his and sat down in front of him. Ron put his fork down, curious to why she was talking to him again and why she looked so happy.

"I don't know if you've heard, but Draco and I are now official. We made it so when we came back from Hogsmeade." Hermione announced, and Ron smiled. Honestly, Ron was okay with it; he was glad Hermione was happy again. Ron was happy Hermione had moved on and could tell him so without having to worry, and he was happy that it didn't bother him anymore.

"That's great, Hermione. I'm happy for you." he said, and Hermione have him a shy smile. She watched as Ron continued eating for a while, thinking about what she wanted to say next. She had to make sure what she wanted to say came out right.

"I'm really sorry. I truly am. I'm so sorry I cheated on you, and you had to figure out the way you did. I'm sorry everyone had to know about it, and I'm sorry I wouldn't let you go when you clearly moved on. I've done a lot of stupid things and acting horrible lately, and I'm sorry if it's affected you. I'm also sorry that I ruined our friendship in the progress, and I really do hope that we can go back to what we were before we started going out." Hermione said, hoping with all she had that Ron would accept her apology. If he did, she would at least know that Ron still saw her as a friend. If he didn't, then she would have to live with fact that she had hurt him for the rest of her life. His face was hard, and didn't reveal anything to what he was feeling.

"You know, Lucy was so surprised when you were mean to her. She told that she had always looked up to you; because you're a prefect and all. It kind of scared her when you weren't what she thought you were. I told her that you just weren't being yourself, and you really were a good person. Lucy believed me." Ron said thoughtfully, and Hermione wondered why he was telling her this. Was he trying to make her feel worse? "I knew that you were still the same old Hermione, even though you were acting like Pansy Parkinson and had cheated on me. I was sure that the Hermione that I had fallen in love with was right beneath the surface of this new Hermione, and I wasn't giving up on that Hermione. That Hermione was my friend, that Hermione will always be my friend."

"In other words, you forgive me and we're still friends?" Hermione asked after a long moment in which she thought about what Ron had just said. It meant a lot to her to hear him talking about her like that; like she was someone people should look up to. He talked about her as if she hadn't done anything wrong in the first place, as if they were best friends. And maybe they would always be best friends, and that comforted Hermione.

"Yes, you are forgiven." Ron confirmed, and Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Ron smiled at her, and then started eating again.

'I've been apologizing a lot today." Hermione stated as Ron kept eating, glancing up at her. "I'm glad I have."

"I'm glad too." Ron agreed with a full mouth of chicken. Hermione smiled at him as she waved goodbye, and left Ron to finish his dinner.

RLRLRLRL

He walked up to her with a chess board and his chess set, setting it up in front of the fire in the common room. Lucy watched silently as he set his pieces up, sitting on the floor and waiting patiently for her to do the same. Lucy smiled to herself as she sat down on the floor on the other side of the small table, setting up her chess set. Ron watched her in awe.

"This time I'm so not going to let you win." Lucy said, breaking the silence. Ron snickered as he studied the chess board, trying to figure out his first move.

"_You let me win? _Don't kid yourself, Lucy." he said, and Lucy rolled her eyes at him, smiling the entire time. Ron lifted his eyes to meet hers, wondering how they could be so perfect.

"You're so big headed, Ronald Weasley." she told him, but that only made Ron laugh. He wasn't really big headed, and Lucy knew that; it was one of the things she loved about him.

"You just love me." he said playfully, and Lucy gave him a love tap over the head. He laughed some more, trying to bring his attention back to the game but failing miserably. "All you have to do is admit it."

"Not yet." Lucy said with more confidence then she really had. Ron raised any eyebrow at her, wanting to know if what he heard was actually what she said. Lucy only smiled at him though. "I'll say it when the time comes."

"When the time comes, then." Ron repeated, not sure he heard her correctly. Lucy nodded and smiled at him, loving how wonderful this all sounded. She was sure this must have been a dream.

But it wasn't a dream, it was reality. And both Ron and Lucy never knew reality can be even better then dreams until now.


End file.
